Not Beyond Redemption
by slytherin05
Summary: Draco was at a party. He was drunk. Daphne had told him that he might get lucky and find himself a girl but he really wasn't interested. That's until he meets Daphne's 'little' sister. Then he can't think of anything else. Disclaimer - all characters belong to JK Rowling.
1. The Meeting

**Chapter One**: _The Meeting_

It was Blaise and Daphne's engagement party. Draco was sat at a table, alone. He was drunk.

He hadn't wanted to come to the party. He knew there'd be a lot of people he'd recognise from school. Well, that didn't bother him. It was more the fact that they'd recognise him that bothered him.

He hadn't exactly been social since he'd left Hogwarts with nowhere near as many qualifications as he should have had. Blaise and Daphne were his best friends and practically the only people he'd kept in contact with. He struggled to even look Goyle in the eye, wracked with guilt over Crabbe's death. He'd never really been keen on Nott, and Nott had been even less keen on him. As for Pansy... Let's just say she'd lost interest eventually. Much to Draco's relief.

He'd taken a lot of persuasion to agree to come to the party, no matter how good a friends Daphne and Blaise had been to him. His day to day routine consisted of working, eating, drinking (a lot) and falling asleep.

"Come on, Draco, it'll be good for you!" Daphne had told him. "You might even find a special lady for yourself." He'd groaned as she'd winked at him. He'd had a couple of failed 'relationships' since school and he'd grown tired of trying.

Nevertheless, here he was. He wasn't even sure how much alcohol he had consumed but one thing was for sure, his head was going to hurt in the morning. He spotted Pansy and Nott dancing together on the dance floor. Rumour had it they were a couple now. 'Good luck to the man,' Draco thought, taking a long swig from his bottle. He slumped over on the table grumpily and watched everyone having fun.

He wasn't always this miserable. Sometimes, when it was just him and Blaise and Daphne, he would go back to being his old self. He'd laugh and joke around because he felt comfortable in their company. Comfortable was certainly one thing he did not feel with all of these people around.

Just then Blaise came over. "Mate, how much have you had to drink?" he asked, pulling a chair up next to Draco.

"What? Not that much," Draco told him, slamming his now empty glass down on the table and picking up a glass of wine which lay in front of him.

Blaise shook his head with exasperation. "How about you get up and actually _talk _to someone instead of sulking over here on your own?"

Draco sniffed indignantly and sipped his wine, leaning back in his chair.

"I've seen you watching Pansy. Do you miss her?" Blaise asked.

"No I bloody well don't!" Draco said fiercely, scowling at Blaise. "Have you forgotten how much she pissed me off at school?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. He couldn't talk to Draco when he was like this. He stood up, tucking the chair under the table.

"Just talk to someone, yeah?" he urged Draco, and made his way back to join the party.

Draco sneered after Blaise as he left. He thought very highly of Blaise but he didn't half hate it when he nagged him. He sounded rather much like his mother and he definitely didn't need two of those in his life.

After drinking down the glass of wine Draco made his way over to the bar and ordered himself two double firewhiskey shots.

"Actually, make it three!" he called to the barman. Well, it was a free bar after all.

With a great deal of effort he started to carry all three glasses back to his table which he noticed was no longer empty. A girl sat in the seat next to the one he'd been sat in. Usually he would have grumbled but he noticed immediately that the girl was very, very pretty. She had flowing, dark brown, wavy hair and big green eyes. He paused for a second to take her in, then resumed his journey to his seat, suddenly aware that he was slightly unsteady on his feet.

He reclaimed his chair, laying the glasses down on the table, but did not speak to the girl. The girl watched him warily as he sat down, her eyes lingering on his line of double firewhiskeys. She then looked back at him and realised who it was. He sat staring straight ahead of him, and he hadn't even spoken. How rude.

"Oh, would you care to join me?" she offered, sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"I was sat here first," Draco told her idly, still not looking at her. He picked up his first shot and downed it in a couple of seconds. He had become so accustomed to the burning sensation the drink brought that he didn't even feel it anymore.

"Oh, well pardon me. I didn't realise this whole table had been reserved for you and your beverages, Malfoy."

Draco's eyes snapped towards her. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.

"Who doesn't?" she answered his question with a question.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously but for some reason his heart had began to beat a little harder in his chest. This girl really was beautiful and she knew who he was. That couldn't be a bad thing, right?

"Can - can I get you a drink?" he asked, preparing himself to be turned down.

The girl's eyes met his for the first time. She was silent for a few seconds, as if to make him sweat, then she said casually "Yeah, go on then."

Draco hastily made his way back over to the bar and came back with a glass of white wine. He handed it to the girl and sat back down next to her.

"How did you know I prefer white to red?" the girl asked. Her tone was no longer harsh as it had been to start with.

"Intuition," Draco said, downing another firewhiskey and relaxing back into his chair. The girl smiled ever so slightly at his reply. "So, how do you know Blaise and Daphne?" he asked.

"I'm Daphne's sister," the girl replied, taking a sip of her wine but not taking her eye off of Draco.

"Oh!" Draco exclaimed, his eyebrows raised. Holy shit, he'd already envisaged taking this girl back to his flat tonight and having his wicked way with her. He suddenly sat up straight. "You're... You're Daphne's little sister?" he stammered, like an idiot.

"I'm Daphne's sister yes. Not so much little anymore. I _am _twenty one."

"Yes, of course, sorry," Draco said, shaking his head dismissively. "I just remember her talking about you, that's all, so I guess in my head you're still very young."

She couldn't help but laugh at the way he rushed to apologise over such a small matter. Instantly she realised that Draco Malfoy wasn't quite the person he used to be.

"Astoria," she introduced herself, holding out a small hand to him, her fingers decorated with a couple of delicate rings.

"Draco," he said in return, taking her hand and shaking it gently. "Nice to meet you, Astoria." She smiled. She had heard that Malfoy had charm but she didn't think she'd feel herself falling for it so quickly. He was beginning to wish he hadn't had so much to drink. His head was feeling a little muzzy. Once the 'introductions' were over, an awkward silence hung over them.

"So, what do you do?" Draco asked after a couple of minutes.

"I'm training to be a healer," Astoria told him. "Just a couple of months to go and I'll be qualified. How about yourself?"

"Oh, I just work at the ministry," Draco told her. "Nothing quite so impressive as a healer." He, surprisingly, sounded as if he didn't much wish to discuss himself.

The pair sat and chatted for a while, and Draco went to get them some more drinks. He actually began to enjoy himself after a while, something he hadn't done in a very long time. The youngest Greengrass proved very easy to talk to though he preferred listening to her telling him about herself. And her eyes, he couldn't stop staring at her eyes. They were beautiful.

After an hour had passed the party was still going as the dance floor didn't become any emptier. It was time Draco swallowed his pride.

"Umm, would you care to dance?" he asked her eventually. He didn't care much for dancing though he wasn't too bad at it - his mother had ensured he was taught to dance properly as it was common amongst pureblooded witches and wizards.

A smile played on Astoria's lips and, although her head was telling her not to be a fool, her heart very much wanted to let Draco lead her to the dance floor. He still had his dashing good looks he'd had in school and he didn't turn out to be such bad company either. She'd just have to be careful - not get in too deep. He was a heartbreaker and everyone knew it.

"Go on then," she said, and together they made their way to join everyone else, leaving their drinks waiting for them at the table.

"Look at that!" Daphne hissed in Blaise's ear upon noticing her sister dancing with Draco.

Blaise gawped at them. "Now there's a couple you wouldn't expect!"

"Well fair play to her! Not only has she managed to _speak _to Draco, he's off his ass and _dancing_. That's quite an achievement..."

"Have they met before?" Blaise asked, as he and Daphne stood watching Draco and Astoria from afar.

"No, never," Daphne replied certainly. Then, after a couple of minutes she said, "My god, look at the way he's looking at her. He can't take his eyes off her." Daphne could hardly believe her eyes. She'd known Draco for twelve years and she'd never seen him look at a girl like he was looking at her sister right now.

Blaise merely shrugged. "Oh, well. Leave them to it," and with that he left Daphne standing and watching alone.

After a couple of songs, Draco and Astoria made their way back to the table. Astoria had very much enjoyed dancing with Draco, he'd turned out to be quite good. Draco reached the table first, and picked up Astoria's glass of wine to hand to her. Unfortunately, it didn't quite go to plan. His head still muzzy, his arm jerked towards her a little too much and he ended up spilling the wine all down the front of her dress.

"Oh, jesus! Sorry!" he said, rushing to grab Astoria a napkin as the wine soaked into her dress more and more. "Shit! I'm so sorry!" Without thinking he started dabbing at her cleavage with the napkin.

Astoria was so surprised she stood rooted to the spot, not sure what to do or say. She just watched as Draco tried to dab away at the clothing which was covering her breasts. She had to swallow the bizarre desire to laugh.

Suddenly, Draco seemed to realise what he was doing and when he looked up their eyes met immediately and their faces were mere centimeters apart. He could have leaned in and kissed her right there and then. Part of her wanted him to. She could see his chest heaving from where he was breathing heavily in anticipation. He leant forward every so slightly, maintaining eye contact with her. He could feel his heart hammering against his rib cage. Then, suddenly, he cleared his throat and backed off. There was no denying that he wanted this girl so very desperately but he didn't want it to happen like this. And anyway, she probably would have ran a mile and left him looking stupid. She felt herself relax as he backed away.

"Umm, yeah, sorry about that," he said again, turning ever so slightly red with embarrassment. Astoria smiled and reassured him not to worry about it.

That night Draco returned to his flat alone but he couldn't keep Astoria off of his mind. He fell to sleep wondering when he would see her again and whether he would have the guts to do what he hadn't done that night. All he knew was that he had to try. He had to.


	2. The Nightmare

**Chapter Two**: _The Nightmare_

Ever since Daphne and Blaise's engagement party Draco had been going about life like normal, being the unsociable person he'd become. He still got up at the same time every morning; still went to work and did the same hours; still came home, ate and then drank until he fell asleep on the sofa where he would wake up the next morning and repeat the process again, only sometimes making it to bed. The only difference was that now, whatever he did, Astoria was playing on his mind. He'd been a fool, he should have just asked her for dinner. But he didn't. Therefore he had no idea when he'd see her again until the wedding in a few months time where he was best man and she was bridesmaid.

He was soon to find out.

That evening when he got home from the ministry there was a letter waiting for him. It was an invite to dinner with Blaise, Daphne and Astoria to discuss final wedding arrangements.

A few days later, he'd prepared himself for the meeting. If he was honest he was feeling a little nervous about seeing Astoria again, especially after last time ending a little disastrously. He had showered and dressed himself in a black shirt and jeans. He'd even cleaned his flat on the off chance that Astoria might end up coming back there. He was probably being too hopefully. No. He was definitely being too hopeful.

When Draco arrived at the tiny, dimly lit Italian restaurant tucked away in a corner of Diagon Alley he found the three already waiting for him at a table, a bottle of wine left uncorked. Although he drank a fair bit he didn't much fancy alcohol tonight. He was, by no means, an alcoholic. He wasn't addicted. He just drank because he was bored and he was lonely. And it helped him sleep better, although it never stopped the nightmares.

"Ah, here he is!" Blaise said, standing as Draco arrived and grasping his hand firmly as a hello. "How are you, mate?"

"Not bad, not bad. And yourself?" Draco asked, taking the seat which had been left for him, next to Astoria.

"I'm good," Blaise said, sitting back down.

"Hi," Draco said to the girls. Astoria caught his eye for a second as he sat down and he could have sworn for a moment that she blushed. Maybe he was just imagining it.

Blaise uncorked the wine enthusiastically and split it between the four glasses.

"Sorry I was a bit late, got held up as work this evening," Draco informed them.

"What is it you actually do at the ministry, Draco?" Astoria asked, repositioning her chair so she was facing towards him more.

"Oh, I just work under the international magical cooperation department. In the law section. Nothing interesting, just paperwork really." Once again, he showed signs of not wishing to discuss himself.

"Oh, give over," Blaise piped up. "That's not all you do, is it?" When Draco chose not to elaborate he did so on his behalf. "He works as a mentor for foreign kids who come over here or are sent here." Draco stared into his wine glass, wishing the attention wasn't on him. "He helps them with school stuff, finding jobs, that kind of thing. And he's bloody good at what he does."

Astoria's eyebrows were raised. She was very impressed as Draco had never seemed the person to give a helping hand. The more she found out about him the more she realised you really can't judge a book by its cover.

"Anyway, I thought we came here to discuss the wedding?" Draco pointed out, taking a sip of his wine.

An hour later, the bottle of wine had emptied with another on the way and they'd all tucked into some excellent food. Draco had relaxed a fair bit after a couple of drinks. The four of them ended up chatting not just about wedding plans but school days, work, and other things. Draco was having a marvelous time. It was nice to get out the flat and socialise. Maybe Blaise was right, maybe he did need to do it more often.

Every now and then he would glance at Astoria out of the corner of his eye just to see her laugh or smile. Was it possible that she looked even more beautiful than she had the night they'd first met? Her hair was tied up in a loose bun at the back of her head, some strands hanging loose and she wore dark, tight fitting jeans and a lacy, flowery blouse. Draco had watched her walk away as she went to use the bathroom. She had _such _a nice bum. Unfortunately Daphne had caught him staring which had ended in a quick confession that he did indeed have a thing for her sister before Astoria arrived back at the table and silence had washed over them.

Surprisingly it wasn't bothering Draco to chat to Astoria in front of Blaise and Daphne. In fact, he felt more comfortable now that they knew how he felt because he knew they wouldn't say anything. This meant that he could just concentrate on having a nice time.

Halfway through the meal he noticed Astoria eyeing his spaghetti bolognese longingly. He laughed to himself. "Would you like to try some?" he asked her.

"Oh," she blushed slightly as he wound some spaghetti round his fork and offered it for her.

"Come on, try it," he urged her and so she let him feed her the spaghetti from his fork. Blaise and Daphne exchanged glances, and found it hard not to smile at the two opposite them who, after only the second time of meeting each other, seemed completely smitten. The more they chatted, the more obvious it became.

As the night drew to a close, nothing much had been established in terms of wedding plans, but the four of them had had such a wonderful time that they'd agree to do it again soon. They left the restaurant and it'd become decidedly chilly outside. Daphne and Blaise rushed off home and Daphne absolutely _hated _cold weather, there was no chance of her hanging around. This left Draco and Astoria standing together outside the restaurant which was now closed. It had got very late.

"Would you like me to accompany you home?" Draco asked. Well, it was only the polite thing to do.

Astoria smiled as Draco offered her his arm. She linked her arm with his and two seconds later they were standing on the doorstep of her flat. Draco suddenly became aware that he was shivering a bit. He'd been stupid enough not to bring a jacket. As Astoria put her key in the door she turned to see him standing there piteously, hands in his pockets, with not even a scarf to wear.

"Would you like to come in for a nightcap?" she asked. She sounded almost shy as she spoke. Draco was completely taken aback by her offer. Maybe things were progressing after all.

"If it's no trouble..." he said.

"Of course it's not, come in."

The pair of them ended up staying up into the early hours of the morning, having far more than just one nightcap. Draco wasn't drunk but he'd had enough to drink so that he was at the stage where he could talk freely to Astoria. They were relaxed on her sofa when she shot him a question.

"How come you were drinking so much at the party?"

His eyes searched her as he thought of something to say, an excuse. But he had nothing, only the truth. He sighed as she didn't take her eyes off him for a second - she obviously wasn't going to let it drop.

"I'm lonely," he suddenly admitted to her, out of nowhere. He couldn't believe he was saying this to a beautiful girl. She would think him weird, surely. Or pathetic. Oh well, he'd started now, he might as well finish. "I - I live alone, I go back to the flat to no-one every single day, I make myself food and I drink. And I drink until I fall asleep. Because I have nothing else to do... Christ, I feel so alone." Saying it aloud really hit him hard. It's as though it had finally sunk in just how alone he was.

Astoria was watching him carefully. She felt sorry for him. She knew he'd turned to the wrong side during the war and she didn't have any idea what had gone on but she was sure that he didn't deserve to be feeling like this. It was obvious how much it was getting to him. She watched as he leant over, elbows to knees, head in his hands.

"And - and I have nightmares. These _awful _nightmares. Almost every night. I've done some terrible things, Astoria, and I don't think I'm ever going to be allowed to forget." He'd started talking now, he couldn't stop. He had no control over what he was saying. "It's - its gunna haunt me for the rest of my life." He looked round at her to find her watching him carefully. Then he realised he shouldn't be there with her. He'd somehow hoped they could be together but she was this beautiful, intelligent girl and he was an ex Death Eater who had tortured people and plotted to kill people. "I have to go," he said suddenly, standing up, but she caught hold of his hand.

"You're going nowhere," she told him firmly.

After a few seconds he flopped back down next to her on the sofa, defeated. Who was he kidding? He didn't want to leave. She still had hold of his hand. It was as though bolts of electricity were being sent up his arm. "You don't understand, Astoria. You don't know me, you don't know what I've done. I shouldn't be here with you. I should be at home, sleeping, alone."

Amazingly, instead of backing away at his words, she moved in closer. "You shouldn't be alone, Draco. You need someone." She gave his hand a squeeze. "I can't make the nightmares go away but... I can make you feel better," she said in a soft voice.

Draco looked round at her and their eyes met. What was she suggesting? Once again, they found themselves with their faces just centimeters apart. Draco swallowed, suddenly aware that his mouth was very dry. He found himself leaning in, like he had done before, only this time it was Astoria who backed away. She stood and offered a hand. He looked at her, confused, but he took her hand anyway and let her lead him through to her bedroom.

"Stay the night," she said, as she collecting her bedclothes to change into. "And if you have any nightmares, I'll be here when you wake up. Okay?" She turned to him and smiled. He remained standing dumbly by the door. As much as her words made her feel a little like a child he was touched. Touched that someone actually cared for once.

"O-okay," he stammered, as she passed him and left the room. "I don't have any bed clothes," he called out to her as she walked down the hallway.

"I've seen a man in his boxers before, Draco, I'm sure I can do it again," she called back.

When she returned, Draco was perched on the edge of one side of the bed wearing just his boxers, as she's suggested. It took a lot of effort for her not to stare at him. He had such a gorgeous body, with just the perfect amount of definition. She couldn't believe she was about to hop in _her _bed next to the infamous Draco Malfoy, the man that every girl had lusted after at school except her.

She climbed under the duvet and Draco joined her uncertainly, plumping up his pillows. He felt somewhat awkward. He'd never been in a girls bed before without at least kissing her first. It felt kind of strange. But he was grateful none the less. They each stuck to their own side of the kingsize bed, and soon fell fast asleep.

A couple of hours later, Draco awoke from a particularly vivid nightmare, shouting, sweating and shaking as he usually did. He opened his eyes to find Astoria awake and looking at him, concerned.

"Nightmares?" she asked him.

He nodded vigorously, not wanting to speak. He was rather embarrassed, why on earth had he agreed to stay?

"Oh, Draco," Astoria whispered. She scooted towards him and put an arm round, beginning to rub his back soothingly, never taking her eye off of him. "They must be some pretty nasty dreams for you to be shaking like that."

Again he nodded. "They - they are," he choked, wiping the swear from his forehead.

"Well, you're not alone now, okay? So nothing to worry about," she told him. He smiled weakly. Though he felt embarrassed it was nice to have someone there. He thought he'd better not waste the opportunity.

"Come here," he whispered to Astoria once she'd ceased the rubbing of his back.

"What?" she whispered back, confused about what he wanted.

He held his arm out, indicating for her to cuddle up to him. She hesitated for a second, before succumbing to him and snuggling up close. After all he was in her bed and she did rather fancy him. Best not waste the chance while it was there.

Their heads lay next to each other on the pillow, hers just below his. Her hand rested on his bare chest and she was cheeky and intertwined her naked legs with his. He was very warm and being next to him like this felt amazing. She smiled to herself.

"Goodnight, Astoria," Draco whispered.

"Goodnight, Draco," she whispered back, and as he pulled her in even closer he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. She'd definitely done the right thing inviting him to stay.


	3. The Invite

**CHAPTER THREE**: _The Invite_

When Astoria awoke the next morning she could hardly believe it when she opened her eyes and found Draco lying next to her. In a post sleep haze, she wondered for a split second if anything had happened. Quickly scanning her memory she was certain nothing had, except the two of them cuddled up.

Draco was still fast asleep and he looked peaceful; a world away from what he'd looked when he'd woken up in the middle of the night, yelling and shaking like a leaf. Deciding the kindest thing to do would be to leave him sleeping, Astoria untangled her bare legs from his and made her way barefoot to the kitchen.

She made herself a strong coffee - she was trying to get her head around how she felt about Draco. He'd totally charmed her at Daphne's engagement party and surprisingly had not tried it on with her. This counted in his favour as she knew all about the reputation he'd had at school. Also, from what Blaise had said the previous night, Draco was a changed man. Part of his job was to help people. He must have changed.

But, as the saying goes, a leopard never changes his spots and, although she hated to admit it, Astoria was a little cynical. There was no denying that Draco was a very attractive man. At school she'd been put off by his arrogance and constant air of superiority. But none of that seemed to be there anymore. So what exactly did that leave her feeling?

She'd been sat staring into her coffee cup for almost an hour when Draco eventually stirred. She could hear him groan as he stretched, before he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. He hadn't bothered to put any clothes on yet. Typical. Maybe he hadn't changed that much after all...

"Why didn't you wake me?" Draco asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Astoria looked up and, once again, struggled to tear her eyes away from his toned body. _How _could she feel like this? Smarmy, arrogant Malfoy. _How _was he making her feel like this without even trying?

She shrugged. "I thought you could do with the extra hours." Her silky dressing gown slipped a little, exposing her cleavage. Naturally, Draco's eyes roamed. She quickly wrapped it back around herself and retied it, despite having been cuddled up next to him semi-naked in her bed only an hour ago. "Besides, it's the weekend."

Draco nodded. He wanted to bring up last nights events with her. Despite having pre-warned her that his nightmares were a regular occurrence he still felt rather embarrassed. He wandered over to her kitchen table and sat down at the chair opposite her. Christ, she wished he'd just put some clothes on.

"I hope you got back to sleep okay last night after... you know..." Draco said, watching her.

"I slept the best I have in ages," Astoria said without thinking. Then she screwed up her face; it was her turn to be embarrassed. It had been a long time since she'd had a man to cuddle up to and she'd loved having him there. But _he _didn't need to know that. When she opened her eyes again she saw the trademark smirk playing on Draco's lips ever so slightly.

"How come?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice. "I mean, why weren't you sleeping well before?"

Astoria sighed. He'd opened up to her last night so maybe she should return the favour. "I sleep better when... When, you know, I have someone with me. Next to me," she confessed begrudgingly. Her eyes met Draco's and he was watching her with a look of understanding in his eyes.

"Well, I get that. I definitely get that," he told her. He smiled at her sadly and she smiled back.

"Would you like a coffee?" she offered. "I need another anyway. Mine's gone cold."

"Oh," Draco said, surprised. He'd been at hers for eleven hours and she still hadn't indicated that she wanted him to leave. All was good. "Yeah, thanks."

As Astoria got up to make the coffee, she looked back over her shoulder at Draco. She suddenly felt the bizarre desire to laugh. Draco Malfoy was sat in her kitchen in his boxers. It wasn't something she'd ever imagined would happen.

"Draco, do me a favour?" she said to him as she stirred their drinks. He looked at her with interest. "Put some clothes on."

"Oh. Yeah. Right... Sorry," Draco said, before getting up and making his way back to her bedroom, reemerging a couple of minutes later wearing his clothes from the night before.

They both sat back down at the table and drank their coffees in silence for a few minutes, then Draco asked Astoria something she hadn't been expecting. "So, have you had any relationships recently?" then he hastened to add "If you don't mind me asking?"

Astoria raised an eyebrow at him as if to say 'boy, you've got some cheek' but then she decided to answer nonetheless. "It's been a while, actually," she said. "I've been putting everything into my work really. I just really want to pass my training." Draco nodded, not taking his eyes off her. He couldn't stop thinking how beautiful she was, even first thing in the morning. "So, it's been a good two, two and a half years since I've properly been with anyone. How about you?"

"M-me?" Draco stuttered, as though he hadn't been expecting her to ask in return. "Umm, the same really. I mean, me and Pansy were together a long time but we were just kids. I've had a couple of girlfriends since then but nothing worth writing home about." Then he decided to take a risk. "You know what you said about sleeping the best you have in ages?" Astoria nodded. "Well, I felt the same. I mean, I know I had that little blip in the middle of the night but... I really... I guess what I'm trying to say is... It was nice."

Astoria didn't know what to say. She didn't know what Draco was trying to say. But she decided there and then that it was time to stop being sensible for once in her life and follow her heart instead of worrying about the possibilities. So she told Draco the truth.

"It was. It was really nice." Then she and Draco both broke out into awkward grins and started laughing at their own stupidity. Once the laughter had subsided, Draco spoke.

"Come out to dinner with me tonight?" He spoke on instinct. He didn't even know where this courage was coming from. He'd practically been a recluse since school - the couple of relationships he'd referred to had been borderline disastrous and the only people he spent time with nowadays were Blaise and Daphne, his mother (and father if need be) and the people that he mentored. And now, here he was, asking a girl out to dinner. Oh well, if it ended badly, at least he'd tried.

Astoria's big green eyes were staring at him unblinkingly. Then she gave him a warm smile. "Yeah... Yeah, I'd like that."

"Great!" Draco said, trying and failing not to sound too over enthusiastic.

The pair of them sat chatting for a little while longer before Draco stood to leave. They both made their way to the front door and Astoria let Draco out. Her dressing gown was drawn tight around her, it was extremely cold. Served her right for wearing summer bedclothes in early spring when it was still decidedly chilly.

"Well," Draco said. "I'll pick you up later, say seven?"

"Seven would be great," Astoria told him, grateful that she had several hours to spend getting ready. Okay so he'd seen her first thing in the morning but that didn't mean that she couldn't make an effort for him tonight. And with any luck he'd be back in her bed sooner than she knew.

"Okay, seven it is," Draco said, clapping his hands together as if that finalised things. He shot her a last cheeky smile and disapperated before her eyes.

Astoria disappeared back into her flat sharpish. It was bloody freezing. She could hardly believe that she was going on a date with Draco Malfoy in a matter of hours. A _date_. Her friends had fancied him at school. God, even her sister had fancied him at one point. Practically every girl in the school had swooned over him at some time in their life. And she hadn't been interested in him at all.

Then why was it that now she was counting down the hours until she saw him next? Why was it that she spent over an hour deciding what to wear to dinner that evening? And why was it that she simply could not get Draco Malfoy off of her mind?


	4. The Date

**CHAPTER FOUR**: _The Date_

Bang on seven o'clock that evening, Draco apparated right onto Astoria's doorstep. He was dressed in black skinny jeans and a white shirt. He'd even bothered to shine his shoes. He had considered bringing some flowers but had decided against it. He had, however, brought a bottle of wine for after the meal, if she were to invite him back, which he had a sneaking suspicion she would.

He knocked on the front door. When Astoria opened it Draco could not stop his mouth from dropping open. She was wearing in a black dress with three quarter length, lace sleeves. Her hair fell in lose curls, framing her face and he noticed some dainty pearl drop earrings in her ears. His eyes strayed downwards and he unwillingly raised his eyebrows at her gorgeous legs which were on show. Surprisingly, she had opted for black flat shoes. She looked absolutely beautiful.

"Wow," Draco said.

Astoria was extremely happy with his reaction - she had spent _so _long getting ready. However, she didn't want to reveal just how happy Draco's reaction had made her, so she played it casual.

"Wow, yourself," she said back, though she felt herself grinning. She stepped to the side to allow him to enter the threshold.

"I brought wine," he informed her, holding up the bottle which had previously been concealed behind his back. She closed the door behind him. "For after dinner."

Astoria tipped her head to one side and cocked an eyebrow. "I see someone's assuming they're coming back to mine tonight..." Well, he deserved teasing for his pure cheek.

"Well, no, I'd say I brought it just incase." He smiled at her and held out the bottle which, of course, she took from him.

"I'll put it in the fridge," she said, and made her way through to the kitchen. Draco couldn't help but smirk as she walked away. If the night carried on like this, it was going to be far too easy. When she came back, she was clutching her bag and coat.

"So, where are you taking me then?" she asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"Hmm, I was thinking a little French place I know near Diagon Alley..."

Astoria smiled politely. "Sounds nice. Shall we get going, then?"

And so the pair of them made their way outside, and Astoria prepared to apparate.

"Oh, it's only a short walk from here. I thought we could..." Draco trailed off. Weirdly, he liked walking, especially when the air was a tad cool. It cleared his mind.

"Yeah, sure," Astoria smiled, a little surprised. She didn't have Draco down as the walking type. Then, as they began to walk, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and inhaled deeply. She shot him a scornful look.

"You smoke?"

Draco glanced at her. "Looks that way," he said, cockily.

"That's a disgusting habit. You really should stop," Astoria told him, boldly.

Draco shrugged as he exhaled the smoke. "I like it. It keeps me relaxed." His voice had changed slightly from the intake of smoke. He now sounded slightly as though he had a blocked nose.

Astoria rolled her eyes. They continued the rest of the journey making small talk before Draco stopped outside of a tiny French restaurant and peered through the window.

"Looks relatively empty," he muttered, and Astoria was sure she detected a sign of relief in his voice. Surely he didn't still get stick for what he'd done almost seven years ago?

Once they were inside, Draco pulled out her chair for her like a gentleman. If tonight went well, he could end up getting more than he bargained for. He wouldn't have gone to this effort for any old girl. There was something about Astoria that he really liked.

"So, did you tell Daphne you were bringing me out?" Astoria asked him, her eyes meeting his across the table. He loved the way the candlelight reflected in her eyes.

He chuckled. "No, I didn't," he confessed. "I don't think she would have been all that impressed."

"How come?" Astoria asked. Draco and her sister were friends, so Astoria couldn't help but wonder why Daphne would mind the two of them going on a date.

"Daphne's a good friend, don't get me wrong. But she wouldn't exactly see me as _date _material," Draco began to explain. Just then, the waiter came over. Draco ordered them a bottle of wine and they each chose a starter and main course. Once the waiter left, Draco continued speaking. "She knows what I was like at school and as far as she's concerned I won't ever change. Your sister will always believe I'm a little... Unhinged, shall we say?"

Astoria couldn't help but snort with laughter. "Unhinged?"

Draco smiled across at her but then nodded. "And I know for certain that she wouldn't want me taking her baby sister out on dates..."

"Well then, she'd have to learn to accept that, as a twenty one year old woman, I am capable of taking my own risks," Astoria said, winking at Draco.

"Oh, I'm a risk am I?" His eyebrows were raised and a smirk played on his lips.

"I'd say so. Daphne isn't the only one who remembers what you were like at school..."

Draco laughed for a second, then his face fell straight. Admittedly, he had been a bit of a womaniser in his school days. However, things change. He was no longer a boy and he had been through a lot. The things that had happened to him had changed him. For life.

"I can assure you, I'm not the boy I used to be," Draco said, certainly.

As the evening went on, Astoria got Draco to open up about his job, which he had refused to do the previous night. She was really interested to know what kinds of things he did. They chatted about it, whilst tucking into their dinner.

"Well, usually I'm just in my office doing paperwork. And they use me to liaise with Greeks usually, as I can speak Greek. But Blaise was on about my mentoring. I do it for a few hours a week, helping people get on their feet. I've got a Greek kid at the moment. He was kicked out of school in Greece, and from what I've heard he was a right little shit... But he's fine with me. The thing is... he reminds me of me. I just went down the wrong path and I was lucky enough to get pulled away so I guess I just wanna do the same thing for him... He's a good kid."

Astoria listened intently. She found it fascinating and surprising that Draco had the initiative to use his own unfortunate circumstances to help others.

"His brother's going down the same route. He's been suspended a few times. So I'm appealing to have him sent to England and have him here working with me as well. I think I can get their trust because I'm not a teacher or anything. I think they know that I was just like they are..."

"You know, that's really impressive, Draco," Astoria told him, truthfully. "You're doing such a good thing."

Draco had flushed red slightly. He shrugged. "It's the least I can do. I've done enough stupid shit to last me a lifetime, I'd say it was about time I was doing something good."

Astoria caught his eye and smiled. He returned the smile. "Anyway, enough about me. How about you..."

The rest of the evening passed swiftly. Things were going incredibly well; the two of them even shared a dessert. Turned out there were both large fans of profiteroles. Once Draco had kindly paid the bill, Astoria had to accept that there was only one way this evening was going to end - with Draco back at hers again. She found that he was really good company, so it would be stupid not to invite him back.

"So," she said, as they stepped outside into the chilly night. They has passed many hours inside the tiny restaurant. "Are we heading back to mine for that wine?" She shot Draco a cheeky grin.

"Well, only if you'd like to," he said.

They started making their way back to Astoria's and she couldn't help but notice that he didn't dive into his pocket for a cigarette this time. He said he needed them to relax. Maybe he'd been nervous for their date?

He did, however, place an arm around her shoulder as they walked together and Astoria didn't know why but there was something about it that just felt right.


	5. The Beginning

**Chapter Five**: _The Beginning_

Once back at Astoria's flat, the bottle of wine was hastily removed from the fridge and the pair made their way through to the small but cosy lounge. Astoria even took Draco's coat for him and hung it up in the hallway. She watched him carefully as he settled back into the sofa. He was looking around, taking in his surroundings.

"I know it's small but-"

Draco raised a hand to stop her from talking. "Size is irrelevant," he said, simply.

Astoria couldn't help but smirk, thinking of his words in a slightly dirtier context than how he had intended them.

"Ahh, is that what you're saying to prepare me?" she teased him.

Draco's head snapped up from his wine glass which he had been about to take a sip from. "Prepare you? Prepare you for what?" He wondered if she was implying when he thought she was implying, but he purposely applied a hint of confusion to his voice.

"Oh, nothing," she said hurriedly, feeling herself flushing immediately. She had a habit of speaking without thinking. "I'm just, umm, going to the loo," she said, and she left the room, completely mortified by Draco's reaction to her joke.

Draco couldn't held but smirk to himself as she left the room, feeling very satisfied that the thought had crossed her mine but that she now thought it hadn't yet crossed his. He waited for her to return which she did after several minutes. She seemed to have regained her composure.

The pair of them spent the next hour chatting about anything which came to mind. Astoria was surprised by how underwhelming Draco was. He had a fairly gentle voice and a soft laugh. His conversation was pleasant and he had a good sense of humour. Indeed, the very opposite of how he'd been at school. However, she noticed that he sat and listened a lot more often than he chose to speak. She thought back to the war and decided that was probably what had changed him.

The two were so immersed in conversation that they didn't hear a popping sound from out in the hallway. Daphne.

"Ria!" Daphne called out, opening the lounge door, where she stood temporarily rooted to the spot as her eyes flicked from her sister to Draco to the bottle of wine which lay between them. Draco and Astoria both stared up at Daphne dumbly, neither saying anything.

"Oh," Daphne said. "Sorry, I - I didn't realise I'd be interrupting anything."

"Clearly," Draco said, his smirk coming out to play again. "Though there really isn't much going on. Me and Astoria were simply swapping a few wedding ideas before I head on home," he lied.

Daphne eyed Draco suspiciously. "Right..." she looked towards her sister again, who nodded her confirmation of Draco's words. "Guess I'd better leave you to it then. Goodnight."

"Night," Astoria and Draco said in unison and with that Daphne was gone.

Draco and Astoria both started to laugh and couldn't stop for a good minute or so.

"Did you see her face? I thought her eyeballs were going to pop out," Draco said, clutching a pain in his side from where he'd laughed so hard. He hadn't laughed so much in a long, long time.

Once the laughter had died down Astoria asked something Draco hadn't been expecting.

"Why'd you lie?"

Draco's face fell straight and he attempted to shrug it off. "Thought it was the best way to get rid of her," he mumbled.

Astoria thought his behaviour a little strange. She rose from the arm chair and moved to sit next to Draco on the sofa.

"Do you really think she'd have a problem with it? She knows you better than most people. I barely know you and even I can see you're not the person you used to be." Astoria stared at Draco, unblinking.

Suddenly Draco could see how badly Astoria wanted something to happen between them. He wanted it too, he really did. But had he really changed enough? Could he trust himself around her?

"Astoria I - I seem a better person but..." he edged away from her a little nervously. "Nothing can excuse the things I've done. I - I've done some terrible things. Things that can't just be forgotten because I've developed a sense of humour that doesn't involve offending someone or because I can sit and hold pleasant conversation."

Astoria remained persistent and closed the gap between them. She was slightly tipsy from the wine but to hell with it. She was sick of being sensible. She wanted Draco and she was bloody sure she was going to get him.

"What if I don't care what you've done?" she said in an almost seductive manner, looking him right in the eye.

Draco's breathing became noticeably heavier. He _desperately_ wanted this beautiful girl, why was he trying to prevent something from happening? He had to stop being harsh on himself at some point, was now the right time?

Astoria felt herself slowly leaning in towards him. Eventually, Draco began leaning ever so slightly, too. Then, mere seconds later, their lips clashed together passionately and Draco felt Astoria's tongue on his lips, begging for entry. He parted his lips willingly and their tongues battled for dominance.

He felt her fingers roaming up his neck and tangling themselves up in his hair. She pulled gently and he let out throaty moan. It had been so long since he'd had interaction like this that he'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

He brought a hand up to her face, the other resting on her thigh. Then they both opened their eyes and the connection they felt was electrifying. Astoria's eyes were telling him that she wanted more. She _needed_ more. And there was no way that he wasn't going to give it to her.


End file.
